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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26378599">coffee stains and urban wisdom</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottagecorecas/pseuds/cottagecorecas'>cottagecorecas</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Dean Winchester is an Iron Man Stan, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Boyfriends, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Early Mornings, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Plant Enthusiast Cas, Post-Finale, me pushing the dean is a secret nerd agenda, soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 22:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,049</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26378599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottagecorecas/pseuds/cottagecorecas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>dean wakes up one morning and realises just how completely smitten with cas he is, even after all this time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>coffee stains and urban wisdom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this oneshot is based on a tweet from one of my fav people. i just loved it so much i had to write something for it! hope i did it justice maggie &lt;3</p>
<p>for anyone wondering the title is a line from the song houseplants by easy life, also suggested by maggie :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dean pushes himself up from the mattress and stumbles out of the bedroom. He’s not long woken up, his legs slow and heavy, but rubbing last night’s sleep from his half-open eyes he follows the sound of soft hums until he reaches the kitchen, where he’s greeted by a blissfully unaware Cas. His back turned and slightly bent at the waist, Cas tilts a watering can over the plants that have found their home on the kitchen’s only windowsill. He does this every morning, practically jumping out of bed the moment he wakes up to check on them, and as much as Dean wishes he’d stay in his arms a little longer, he can’t help but find his excitement and unadulterated love for those plants endearing.</p>
<p>Leaning against the doorway, Dean stays there for a moment, waiting for the rest of his senses to catch up with him. The familiar smell of coffee gently coaxes him from his waking slumber, and his eyes sweep lazily from Cas to the counter in search of the pot. Eyelids still heavy with sleep, he finds that his favourite mug is already on the side, placed beside Cas’s, filled to the brim, and waiting for him. Smiling to himself, Dean goes to grab it.</p>
<p>He rests the small of his back against the counter, bringing the warm mug to his lips, eyes peering over the rim, and watches his boyfriend work away as he sips. Standing on his tiptoes, Cas waters one of  hanging plants, a new addition to his collection, and Dean takes in how the old band t-shirt he gave him hangs off his frame, so stretched and faded with years of wear that it swamps him and makes him look small in comparison. Where he stands, he’s framed by the bright morning sun pouring in from the south-facing window and it makes the mess of his hair, sticking up in all different directions from where he slept the night before, stand out. Dean laughs under his breath at the way Cas tilts his head to the side a little as he checks the leaves, a quirk he’s had since the very first day they met, and relishes how he whistles and hums like he doesn’t have a care in the world when he thinks Dean isn’t there. Out of everything, Dean likes the humming especially; he might not recognise the tune, probably one of those classical songs Cas loves so much, but it doesn’t matter; it means that Cas feels safe and happy here with Dean, and that’s all Dean has ever wanted.</p>
<p>He used to dread mornings, usually spending them barely rested and worrying about what he’d have to face that day, but now he loves how he’s welcomed awake by Cas’s cheery hums, and how there’s always a coffee waiting for him, made just the way he likes it, even after he’s told Cas at least a hundred times that he doesn’t have to make it for him. He loves how Cas remembers that the Iron Man mug is his favourite, and he loves how Cas glows so much more by that window than he did when he was an angel, and most of all, Dean loves that he’s able to spend another day with the man he loves, knowing that he loves him back.</p>
<p>It seems too good to be true sometimes, and there’s always the fear that he’s still sleeping and that this is all just a dream. Even after a few sips of his coffee there’s an early morning bleariness to his vision, and the slow-rising sun makes everything gold-tinted and hazy, and Dean remembers that he never gets what he wants. He never catches a break. Any minute now he’s going to wake up  in another dingy motel room, back sore from decades of crappy mattresses, already exhausted despite the fact he’s just woken up, dreading the day ahead and feeling completely and utterly alone again. Moments like that are short-lived though, and he always finds himself back in their tiny apartment, watching the man he loves, outlined in a pale gold, fuss over his makeshift garden, and falling in love with him all over again. The realisation that this is his life now is overwhelming, even after all this time, and as much as he enjoys watching the love of his life potter about undisturbed, he has the urge to be near him. Pushing away from the counter, Dean only has to take a few steps before he’s just behind him, placing a light hand on his back to let him know he’s there before wrapping an arm around his shoulders, pulling him in closer and planting a kiss on his temple.</p>
<p>“Morning, Sunshine. Sorry if I scared you,” Dean mutters into Cas’ hair after a moment, “I didn’t want to disturb you.”</p>
<p>When he pulls away Cas gives him a soft smile, and after a pause he says, “You could never scare me, Dean.” Dean wishes he could say the same, but god the way Cas makes him feel scares him so much sometimes – more than any werewolf or djinn or looming apocalypse ever did. Happiness is such a foreign concept to him. It’s something he wasn’t trained for, something he doesn’t understand well, and he’s still getting used to the feeling. When he’s staring into those blue eyes like he is now, sparkling in the light like the ocean does on a summer’s afternoon, he feels like he could drown any second. He knows that with Cas here, though, he won’t.</p>
<p>They stay like that for a while before eventually Cas moves his gaze back to his window-garden.</p>
<p>“I think I’ve exhausted this part of the apartment,” He chuckles, and Dean finally peels his eyes away from Cas to the windowsill, every inch of it covered in various plants in mismatched pots, their green shoots standing tall, their leaves, splashed with gleaming beads of water from their morning drink, soaking in the warm morning sun. They look as happy as Dean feels, and Dean knows it’s all because of Cas. <strike></strike></p>
<p>Cas has given him everything he’s ever wanted, and Dean doesn’t know how to repay him. He thinks a good start would be to give him a proper garden one day.</p>
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